At least, that's the case from a production standpoint, as the elaborate series debuts Wednesday on Slice and Global.

"We have never in our 30-some years of being in business ever come across a show quite like Big Brother Canada," says John Brunton, the chairman, CEO and executive producer of Insight Productions, whose reality-competition resume includes Battle of the Blades, Top Chef Canada, Canada's Got Talent, Canada Sings, Canadian Idol, Project Runway Canada and forthcoming The Amazing Race Canada.

"We have 80 cameras in the Big Brother Canada house," Brunton continues. "Building that house was like building a house on an empty lot in the real world.

"It has to have working bathrooms, working showers, working kitchens, air conditioning, temperature control, swimming pools, hot tubs, you name it. And all of it has to be inside a studio."

Brunton must be wondering at what point in his career he became Mike Holmes.

"The amount of people you need to follow all the stories that are going on in a household with 15 different housemates, it's mind-blowing. Just think of the complication of keeping everybody miked. There can be no dark spot in any corner of this house.

"And put yourself in the shoes of the housemates. Every time you walk through, you see the cameras slowly moving, and you're thinking, 'Oh my God, it is like Big Brother, he's watching.' "

In addition to the TV show, once Big Brother Canada begins, the cameras will be active online, 24/7.

"When we found out we were producing this show, we started watching the U.S. version, and when you get to know the people, and you have access to these 24-hour feeds, it's like a weird addiction," Brunton says.

"You start thinking, 'Should I be looking at them at this time of night, with their dress kind of gone away, or whatever? What have I become? I can't go to sleep, I can't take my eyes off these people, wandering around in this house like ants in an ant farm.' "

That said, even when you're watching ants, the ants have to be interesting.

"We've never cast for a show like Big Brother Canada," Brunton says. "We generally cast by saying, 'Okay, that person is a really phenomenal chef, or designer, or singer.'

"With this it was like, 'Okay, you can't take your eyes off that person. Who holds the screen? What's a great representation of Canada and Canadian diversity?' So it has been a really interesting adventure."

Behind the scenes at 'Big Brother Canada'

At least, that's the case from a production standpoint, as the elaborate series debuts Wednesday on Slice and Global.

"We have never in our 30-some years of being in business ever come across a show quite like Big Brother Canada," says John Brunton, the chairman, CEO and executive producer of Insight Productions, whose reality-competition resume includes Battle of the Blades, Top Chef Canada, Canada's Got Talent, Canada Sings, Canadian Idol, Project Runway Canada and forthcoming The Amazing Race Canada.

"We have 80 cameras in the Big Brother Canada house," Brunton continues. "Building that house was like building a house on an empty lot in the real world.

"It has to have working bathrooms, working showers, working kitchens, air conditioning, temperature control, swimming pools, hot tubs, you name it. And all of it has to be inside a studio."